27 January 2013

New YA: January 22-31.

If, like me, you like The Luxe in all of its Bathtub Book Glory—the bitchiness and the period clothing, the page-turning plot twists, the secrets and lies and romantic entanglements—then Cinders and Sapphires will totally be up your alley.

So, I went in with high hopes—which is sometimes a dangerous proposition—but I'm happy to report that Kirsten Miller has done it again: like its predecessors, The Darkness Dwellers is chock-full of excitement, mystery, secrets, disguises, stock market shenanigans, and smartypants humor. There are punches thrown and tires slashed; code-breaking and chemistry and cool tidbits of lesser-known history.

I really, really enjoyed this one: it works as historical fiction, as science fiction, as a horror story, a romance, a coming of age, and as a retelling of H.G. Wells' original. The changes that Shepherd makes, the twists she introduces, they all feel organic and they play off the original and change it, but in ways that complement the Wells, if that makes sense. It changes it without trying to replace it or diminish it, maybe? Whatever it is I'm trying to say (YEESH), it's TOTALLY engrossing, and I TOTALLY DUG IT.

It's got some genuinely creepy moments, and rather than Bella's Edward Cullen Hurts Me Because He Loves Me routine, Delaney's reasons for not cutting Troy loose early on are easy (or, they were for me) to identify with: she's trying to understand this power she suddenly has, and what she's supposed to do with it. Well, that and the blackmail thing, but that comes later.

And, as you may have guessed from the cover art, there's a romance. But it isn't a story in which the Romance Heals All Ills, or even a story about a romance that's necessarily going to Work Out. Rather than a simple romance—and there are some serious moments of steam—it's a story about two people connecting, and about how important, at that specific time, that connection is to both of them.

The story has a lot going for it. It stars a capable girl who's got a few big secrets and a couple of potential love interests. It features cool science (or is it magic?) and a rarely-covered historical event. In addition to the attractiveness of the premise, much of this book is technically well done: it's clear that the author did quite a lot of research, and the historical details are both interesting and integrated well into the narrative.